Is Luxury Family Travel Really A Myth?

If I had a dollar for every time someone told us: “You better get all this travelling out of the way! You’ll never be able to do this when you have kids.” We’d be even richer. After hearing this far too many times I couldn’t help but ask myself: “Is luxury family travel really a myth?”. Well, the answer is no! Turns out there is a whole niche of luxury family travel bloggers in the blogosphere who can prove all these naysayers wrong! I’ve reached out to a few who agreed to share some of their favorite luxury family travel experiences.

Shweta Singhal With 3 Month Old Daughter Kaavya - Zest In A Tote

Maldives

Maldives is mainly considered as a honeymoon destination - white sandy beaches, crystal clear water of every imaginable hue of turquoise blue and sea green, unparalleled luxury and service. It is a wonderful vacation for couples, but even so for families.

Most of the resorts in the Maldives are on their own islands. And these resorts provide everything that you can imagine for a good family vacation - good food (a choice of International cuisines and local Maldivian specialties), a kids’ club, water sports facilities, spa facilities, and what not. The islands are in lagoons, so the ocean near the beach is calm and safe for small children.

One can have a relaxed beach vacation with all the needs taken care of. You could take a snorkeling session together as a family and see a variety of fish and other marine life. The adults and older kids can try scuba diving or windsurfing. We went for a boat ride and saw dolphins doing acrobatics in the sea.

We went to Taj Exotica, Maldives with our 3-month baby and had a holiday of a lifetime! A water-front villa was our accommodation of choice– it had picture-perfect views of the Indian Ocean from the bed and the bathtub, and a private sun deck. Read More

Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel, Cape Town

The luxurious Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel on Long Street in Cape Town, South Africa stands out for many reasons especially after a several weeks of long, overland travel from Johanesburg to Cape Town.

Here's the top 3 reasons why we love the Grand Daddy:

1) THE WORLD'S ONLY ROOFTOP AIRSTREAM TRAILER PARK - This is the number one reason to stay here! When you hear the words "The World's Only" you know you are in a unique place. There are 7 boutique airstreams on the roof each with a different theme based on different parts of South Africa. They gave us the biggest airstream since we are a family of five. They have a nice sitting area to get work done (important for us digital nomads and travel bloggers)!
2) OPEN-AIR CINEMA - One of the reasons why this hotel stands out and has left a memorable place in our kids' hearts is the large, open-air rooftop cinema which plays weekly movies and is free for guests staying at the hotel - they even gave our kids free popcorn to enjoy the film! Plus, you get an incredible view of the iconic Table Mountain as your backdrop - one of the most unique places to watch a movie in the world!
3) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION - when choosing a place to stay, you want to be right in the heart of the action so you can walk to different tourist attractions, restaurants, and shops. Long Street is the Tourist Hub of Cape Town and Grand Daddy is right in the centre of it all. We were able to walk to the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus and try out several of the local restaurants without worrying about it getting late or taking a taxi back at night. Read More

Rosewood Mayakoba, Mexico

We’ve traveled to 49 countries with our kids and stayed in a lot of amazing kid-friendly resorts. The Rosewood Mayakoba near Playa del Carmen, Mexico remains one of our favorites. They simply do everything right.

First, they find a great balance between luxury and kid-friendliness. It’s perfect for honeymooners and couples, but it’s also amazing for kids. My daughter’s birthday was recognized at least half a dozen times around the resort, including in our room, at meals, at the kids club and by staff members who we hadn’t even met before. And the hotel constantly had activities planned for kids, including cooking, art, and animal excursions.

Second, they let the five of us all stay in one villa. There was plenty of space for us and I appreciated the waiver from their standard policies and the recognition that families would rather stay together – even if it includes a rollaway bed. And our villa had a private plunge pool so we could have pool time without leaving the room – always nice to have that option.

Third, you’re constantly aware that you’re in Mexico. The hotel celebrates the local culture without ever making it clichéd. It’s disappointing to be somewhere in the world and have no sign of the world outside the resort’s gates.

Fourth, and most importantly, our kids loved it. They liked the villa, the pools and cabanas, the snow cones by the pool, the beach, the restaurants, the kids club, and the overall atmosphere. They simply felt comfortable for a week. And they want to go back! That says everything. Read More

Vienna

Picture stepping back in time to a world when you can hear the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages against cobblestoned squares, classical music waltzes through a castle, and you can spend hours luxuriously eating cake and sipping aperol spritz in a velvet-curtained café. This world still exists in Vienna, and here the luxury extends to your children.

At the Ritz Carlton Vienna on the Ringstrasse, they welcome young travelers with an amenity bag and a lobby where brightly-colored candies glitter in glass jars. Don’t be surprised when the bellmen sneak sugary treats to you. “For the little ones,” they whisper.

The recently renovated bedrooms are spacious, well-lit and have a large bathtub (perfect for your little one to wash off the dust from the playground across the street) and ample closet space. They have a special program for those traveling with infants, where they will provide baby-friendly amenities, a crib or play yard. Upgrading to a Club Level room will allow you access to the Lounge where they have children’s games, food, champagne for you and a candy bar for the little ones.

While the concierge at the hotel can help you arrange child care, Vienna has a number of easily-accessible family-friendly attractions. The Viennese treat children very well, and there are a number of parks and open space for children to play. Read More

Beijing

We think the Grand Hyatt Beijing is the perfect luxury city hotel for families as they really catered for our every need. From high quality baby dressing gowns and baby toiletries to having a resort feel pool which would be any Child's dream. While the restaurants served high quality Chinese food, the staff were so accommodating with our little one and made us feel so welcome. If you want to experience a luxury hotel in Beijing with a baby, then the Grand Hyatt is really the only choice. Read More

There you have it folks, luxury family travel is NOT a myth! These wonderful bloggers are living proof that it is still possible to travel the world and enjoy the finer things in life post kiddos. Here are a few more luxury family travel bloggers that will inspire you to travel more with your little ones.

Have you travelled with your little one(s)? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below!

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About Me

Hi! I'm Pamela (Chieff)allo

a Canadian luxury lifestyle and travel blogger currently living in Dublin, Ireland.
I hope to inspire others through my travels and show them the most beautiful parts of this world, all while enjoying the finer things in life.
Travel Like a Chieff is a luxury lifestyle and travel blog with a focus on international travel, food, shopping and pure relaxation. Its mission is to discover the highest quality experiences, services and brands, share them with people all over the world and inspire them to do the same.
As Saint Augustine once said: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” Life is too short to wait for later, don’t miss out by not taking the time to read all the pages of this wonderful book we call the world.
Join me while I share my adventures and hopefully inspire you along the way!